(Updated: 5:00 p.m.)
With right fielder Nick Markakis undergoing surgery to remove the broken hamate bone in his right wrist on Friday, the Orioles have brought back veteran Bill Hall to replace him on the 25-man roster.
The move became official before Friday’s series opener in Tampa Bay as the Orioles selected Hall’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk and placed him on the 40-man roster. The club placed second baseman Brian Roberts on the 60-day disabled list to clear a spot on the 40-man for Hall, which won’t interfere with the projected date of June 12 for his return to the big leagues should his minor league rehab assignment continue to go smoothly.
Hall will begin his second stint with the Orioles this season after playing in six games and going 2-for-7 with a home run last month. In 21 games with the Tides this season, the 32-year-old Hall is hitting .221 with three home runs and 10 runs batted in over 86 at-bats. He has played 79 games in left and 24 in right over the course of his 11-year career in the majors.
Manager Buck Showalter will face the challenge of now finding production in both right and left field with Markakis joining Nolan Reimold on the disabled list. Veteran Endy Chavez figures to receive regular at-bats at one of the positions despite hitting only .123 in 65 at-bats this season, but the picture becomes much cloudier after that.
The combination of Wilson Betemit, Ryan Flaherty, Steve Tolleson, and Hall will likely receive more opportunities in the outfield in Markakis’ absence.
How productive they can be remains a different story entirely for the Orioles, who have lost five straight and eight of their last 10 games.
Markakis’ surgery was deemed successful on Friday morning and the outfielder will remain in Sarasota to begin rehab, hoping to return in three to four weeks.
